Chapter Nineteen
Elementary, My Dear McKenzie
"So, let me get this straight…" Jack breathed out, leaning back in the sofa, trying to get a handle on the whole unbelievable situation Robert had just explained to them. "You got mauled by a Kangaskhan in Rock Tunnel, and then found a bunch of people all dressed in black like some glorified cult who were stealing and even killing Cubone. Somehow along the way this Aaron person got caught up in it and then Ivy's… how did you phrase it… adopted this guy and then you found out that he's also doing the same course as she is? And they're now currently running around Lavender town like Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson wannabes trying to track these Cubone kidnappers down?"
Robert nodded swiftly.
"Oh, Ivy…" Jack moaned, sinking his head into his hands, instantly worried. "Trouble just seems to follow you around like a bad smell. Why don't you ever think what you're doing...?"
"Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, huh?" Sebastian was chuckling to himself despite the seriousness of the situation, entertaining an amusing mental image. "I wonder which one was which…"
"Ivy's not smart enough to be Sherlock Holmes," Robert said at once.
Sebastian frowned disapprovingly at his older cousin. "That's not very nice…"
"No, it's true." Jack deadpanned before Robert could defend himself. "Ivy's not exactly… the brightest bulb in the box, shall we say? She's not got a lot of common sense. Especially if she goes running off with strange guys practically the moment after she meets them." He then wrung his hands together nervously. "She should know better than that…"
"To be honest, Jack," Robert said, looking up at him. "He may be flirty and inappropriate, but I don't think he's the kind of guy who's going to drag her down a dark alley and—"
"Yes, thank you, Robert!" Jack cut him off abruptly.
"You really worry about her, don't you?" Sebastian asked, his face softening slightly, noticing just how agitated the normally calm and composed young man looked.
"Of course I do," Jack said at once. "That stupid girl..." He added under his breath. "Why doesn't she ever think? He could do anything to her..."
Sebastian didn't quite know what to say in reply to Jack, however he did privately find it quite remarkable as to how much Jack did seem to genuinely care for and worry over his best friend, even if he didn't like to show it. Robert, however, sighed darkly at the amount of fuss being made, obviosuly holding no such affections.
"I don't get why you're making such a big deal of this. You know, you should just marry her off to some guy and let him take care of her. Problem solved."
"I'm not ever letting Ivy get married. Not without police checks, background checks and a serious Spanish Inquisition on the guy."
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisiton," Sebastian chuckled to himself, but went ignored.
"What are you, her father?" Robert asked in disdain, raising an eyebrow.
Jack sighed. "Look, never mind that. I wanna go find this Aaron person just to make sure he's not trying… something with Ivy."
"I'd like to go too," Sebastian added. "Hearing about those Cubone has worried me. People have done similar things to Cubone in the past. Very bad people and very bad things. I'm concerned we might be having a repeat of that…"
"Well, I'm not coming," Robert said folding his arms defiantly. "I've done enough running around like a madman for one day, thank you very much." he said darkly, sitting further back in his chair as if to cement the point.
"Alright, fine..." Sebastian said, pushing himself up from his seat. "But you did say they were heading into town right?"
Robert grunted in the affirmative, already engrossed on some game he had pulled up on his mobile phone. Sebastian turned to Jack, who was still looking anxious. "Let's get going," he told the other young man firmly.
Meanwhile, as Jack and Sebastian left an indifferent Robert behind to start their search, Aaron and Ivy were roaming around the relatively empty streets of Lavender Town in the middle of conducting their investigation. There weren't many people around to ask, but those that they were able to pin down didn't seem to know anything and Ivy was growing frustrated with their fruitless efforts, having expected the search to be over quite quickly. She let out an exasperated sigh, her feet beginning to ache and throb from the constant walking back and forth along the streets. "We've been at this ages," she observed rather nervously, noticing that Aaron had remained stubbornly determined despite every knock-back and dead end they had encountered.
"The path to justice never runs smoothly. Or quickly, for that matter..." Aaron said with a sigh, mopping at his brow. "And it doesn't help the people of Lavender Town are quite funny with strangers..."
"Great..." Ivy groaned, wishing she could stop even for five minutes, just to rub her sore feet and rest her aching limbs.
"We can't give up, though." Aaron said decisively. "I'm not going to let those Cubone suffer at the hands of whoever took them. All it takes is one person, Ivy. One person, one clue, one lead and the whole investigation could make perfect sense."
Ivy blinked at Aaron's reply. "You sure you're just a university student, Aaron? All this stuff you're talking about makes you sound like a detective..."
"Well, I am studying Criminal Justice," Aaron mustered up a smile, albeit a rather weak one. "And my father worked on the police force. It's kinda natural I want to follow in his footsteps. I... I hate crime. In all its shapes and forms. And if there's anything I can do to stop it, no matter how petty or insignificant it may be, then I'll do it,"
"Wow," Ivy breathed out in admiration. "That's impressive,"
"Not really..." Aaron replied, his voice trailing off as he noticed someone approaching them from the other end of the street. "Hold that thought," he muttered, before stepping slightly to the side to intercept the person approaching them. "Excuse me?"
The person stopped abruptly. It was a young man, probably no older than Ivy or Aaron. A line of shining Pokeballs gleamed out from under the folds of a fashionable chequred shirt in vibrant red and blue. The shirt had been left open, showing off a tight black undershirt depicting some desginer logo. His jeans were dark and had a fine cut to them, his hair was stylish and his face quite pleasing to look upon. He seemed to be the kind of person who should carry himself with an air of confidence, even a defined swagger, but Aaron noticed something worrying. His statement clothes, good looks and the full team of six Pokeballs he carried on proud display around his waist suggested he had every reason to look confident and open, but this young man seemed on edge. He walked with his head bowed, almost like he was trying to withdraw into himself. His shoulders were hunched, almost rigid, but his eyes were alive, darting this way and that, taking in every detail of everything he walked past. Almost as if he was looking for something. Watching for something. Even as Aaron approached him, the young man started, his eyes flashing in alarm at being spoken to.
"Whoa, easy there," Aaron said calmly in face of the young man's panic. "Didn't mean to frighten you there, friend."
"What do you want?" The man asked at once, his hand lingering at the Pokeballs at his waist..
"Just to ask you a couple questions,"
"Questions?" The young man twitched slightly, immediately avoiding Aaron's gaze. "What kind of questions?"
"I was just wondering if you'd perhaps seen a group of people perhaps moving around Lavender Town today? About five people, all in black? Maybe carrying around some cages?"
"No." The young man said at once.
Ivy groaned in a tortured manner at the young man's negative reaction. "Another dead end..."
"No, not quite..." Aaron murmured, his eyes tracing every detail of the man's face, his ears keenly pricked. "Sir, if I may. What's your name?"
"What? Why do you want to know my name?!" the man asked indignantly.
"Please, sir. Just hear me out. Your name, please?"
"...Owen Porter."
"And your age?"
"Twenty two."
"And you're a Pokemon trainer?"
"I am."
"May I see your trainer's card, please?"
"What business is it of-?!"
"Please, sir. Humour me."
"Fine," Owen said, impatiently digging around in the messenger bag he was wearing. After a few moments, he flung a trainer card at Aaron.
Aaron consulted it only momentarily, indeed noting the young man's name to be Owen Porter and that he was twenty two years of age, as he had said. Ignoring Ivy's murmurs of confusion, he handed back the card to the young man. "Very good. And, if I may ask you, what colour is the sky?"
"I'm sorry, what?!" Owen sounded agitated and looked like he wanted to punch Aaron in the face. Ivy squeaked nervously to herself in the background at Owen's angered tone.
"What colour is the sky?" Aaron repeated calmly.
"Well, it's blue of course!"
"Of course it is," Aaron smiled. "Now... Owen... I'll ask again. Did you see a group of people all dressed in black carrying cages today?"
"What the hell, man? Haven't I already answered your damn question?!"
"Yes, you have. So it wouldn't be that hard to anser it again, correct?"
Owen grunted angrily.
"So, Owen. Have you seen a group of people all dressed-"
"No!"
"No?"
"No, haven't seen them."
"I see..." Aaron said, his eyes trailing over Owen's face, noting a slight dilation to the pupils of his eyes and his breathing suddenly become rapid. Even as he spoke, Owen's hand drifted to his face, almost as if he was trying to create some barrier between himself and his questioner. "Well, that's too bad." Aaron said. "Cos I don't believe you."
"You what?!"
"I don't believe you. What I do believe, Owen Porter, is that you're lying to me."
"What?! How dare you?!"
"I do dare because this is a very serious matter," Aaron's voice had gone dangerously low. "There are people out there hurting Pokemon. Stealing them and hurting them and even killing them! That's a criminal offence, you know? And if you know anything about this and you don't tell the appropriate authorities, you could be charged as an accessory to the offence! You could go to prison!"
Owen grimaced, running a hand agitatedly through his mop of fluffy brown hair. "B...but what good could telling you do? If I couldn't stop them—" he suddenly broke off, looking horrified.
Aaron's eyes widened. "Stop them? You tried to stop them?"
"I... I—!"
"Tell me the truth, Owen!" Aaron demanded, his voice harsh and firm, yet still dangerously calm and quiet. "You saw those people, didn't you?"
"I..."
"And you tried to stop them, didn't you?"
"No, I—!"
"And you couldn't beat them, could you?"
"No, no, I—"
"And when you couldn't beat thenm, I bet they threatened you, didn't they?"
"N-no, I don't... I can't... How did you...?"
"You need to answer me, Owen!"
"Fine!" The young man shouted back, his face marred with frustration. He let out a haughty sigh and immediately looked away. "Yeah, I saw your group of people in black with all those cages! I thought they were poachers and I tried to step in, but... I was totally outnumbered! I couldn't do anything. They... They said they were in a hurry, that they couldn't stay to finish me off... But they said if I even so much as attempted to tell police or go after them, they'd come back and kill me..."
"Typical scare tactics," Aaron said in disgust. "Lowlife criminal bastards..."
Ivy was watching Aaron and Owen's exchange worridely, wondering if she should interject. But she didn't even know exactly what was going on and realised she probably shouldn't barge in.
"Which way did they go?" Aaron then asked.
"Wh-what?"
"Go. Which way did they go?"
"I… I think they went south."
"South?" Aaron said in disbelief.
"Yeah, south." Owen nodded. "I… I don't know why… There's nothing at all down that way for who knows how many miles... I don't understand why they wouldn't go to Saffron… It's closer..."
"Why not Saffron indeed…?" Aaron muttered to himself, looking thoughtful, before drawing himself back up to his full height. "Well, thank you very much for all your help, Owen. I'll be going now," he said bluntly, before closing his hand around Ivy's. "Come along, Ivy. We need to get going. Have a good day, sir."
And with that, leaving an entirely bemused Owen in his wake, Aaron pulled a very shocked Ivy back down the street and ducked her into a secluded alleyway. He then paused, releasing her hand and immediately starting to think. Ivy, still in total shock at what she had just seen her new companion do, couldn't help herself and burst out in excitement. "Aaron, that was incredible! You were like Sherlock Holmes! How did you figure out that guy was lying to you?!"
"Oh, every poker player has a tell..." he said offhandedly, his mind still running over all the new information he had just gathered.
"W-wow!" Aaron's smooth response had only mafe the whole thing seem even cooler to her. "You should be a detective,"
Aaron smiled wryly. "Oh, I would if I could. Only problem is that I'm not too good at this whole evidence gathering thing. I only go on instinct and guts. And instinct and guts don't stand up in a court of law. I'd be pretty useless trying to gather evidence."
"Oh, but that's such a waste... You've got such a talent there..."
Aaron smiled, his tone becoming teasing. "Ivy McKenzie, I am insulted that you think I'm wasting my talents. No, I want to be a behavioural analyst."
"A what?" Ivy asked dumbly.
"A behavioural analyst," Aaron repeated. "You know what I did just there with spotting how that guy was lying to me? It's that, but on a much larger scale and with real criminals. I read the body language and voice patterns of someone suspected of something, and I should be able to spot if they're lying, being dishonest or hiding something and if they're being truthful. And with enough training, I'd be able to judge what kind of person would commit certain crimes or actions and then be able to give the police a profile of who to look for,"
"Wow," Ivy breathed out, highly impressed. "That sounds so...complicated! I couldn't do that!"
Aaron chuckled at the girl's almost childlike enthusiasm. "And what about you? Any future aspirations?"
Ivy considered this momentarily, before saying in all seriousness "Not to fail university,"
"No, I meant after—" Aaron started, but quickly decided better of it and started steering Ivy down another street. "Never mind," he said swiftly. "We should keep looking around. Maybe head south. See if we can find something..."
Ivy nodded, but she wasn't about to let Aaron away with revealing so little about his super-human powers of perception. She was intrigued by this fascinating young man and keen to know whatever else he had to tell her. "But Aaron... Where did you learn to do all that? Telling how that guy was lying?"
"My dad," Aaron said simply. "He taught me the basics on how to catch a liar and I just expanded on it as I got older. It's simple, really. First, you need to establish a baseline of behaviour, or in layman's terms, learn how a person's face and voice acts when they're being truthful,"
"So...so that's why you asked him for his name, age and what colour the sky was, right?!"
"Indeed. And then once you learn how a person behaves normally, it's quite easy to spot the "tells" they display when they're lying. And that's all there is to it,"
"Wow... You really are like Sherlock Holmes! That's incredible!"
"Not at all," Aaron said with a dashing smile. "It's elementary, my dear McKenzie,"
Ivy laughed delightedly at Aaron's reference and Aaron couldn't help but chuckle along with her, but their revelry was interrupted by a shout. Ivy glanced around to see Jack and Sebastian yelling and waving at her from across the street. She waved back enthusiastically as both young men darted across the road and joined them. Sebastian looked as calm and composed as ever, but Jack was frowning as he stood in front of Ivy. "What the hell do you think you're playing at?" He asked sternly.
"I...what?" Ivy asked in confusion, wondering what on earth was wrong with her friend. "Wh…what have I done now?"
Jack looked away from Ivy and started glaring at Aaron instead, looking as if he could easily turn the other young man to stone. "Why the hell would you go running off with some strange guy without telling anyone where you were going? God, Ivy! Are you stupid? He could have been anyone! He could have done anything to you!"
"Wh-what? But...but he's not anyone! He's Aaron!"
Aaron was standing in the middle of everything, looking inherently confused. "Ivy...do you know these men?"
"Know them?! For your information, I'm Jack Hartman. Ivy's best friend." Jack said icily, his eyes firmly fixated on Aaron. "And I don't approve of her waltzing off with strange men she's only just met!"
"Jack!" Ivy hissed, feeling a red hot blush invade her cheeks. "What are you doing?!"
"And I don't like the way you were supposedly slobbering all over her like some lovesick Growlithe." Jack continued, ignoring Ivy's protests but placing a protective hand on her arm the whole time he spoke. "How could you be so disrespectful?"
"I believe the lady is capable of choosing who she does and doesn't wish to associate with," Aaron said coolly, his arms folding tightly. "It is disrespectful of you, as her so-called "best friend", not to honour those wishes. Perhaps it could be that you are jealous she chose to associate with me and not you...?"
Jack visibly jumped at Aaron's jibe, his face then instantly twisting in rage. "I'm afraid you're mistaken," he said in a strained voice. "I'm not jealous of you, merely concerned for my best friend. I hear she's been attacked in the Rock Tunnel by some people killing Pokemon and then find out she's run off with a random stranger she found there! You could have been one of them for all I know! And your totally inappropriate behaviour towards a woman you just met is nothing short of disgusting!"
"E...enough!" Ivy suddenly interjected, just before Aaron could retort back. "G...guys, please! Don't fight!"
Ivy looked deeply upset at the sight of her squabbling companions, her eyes dangerously watery. The sight was enough to silence Aaron instantly, and he apologised immediately, his entire face softening. Jack however didn't seem moved by Ivy's plea, looking away and muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "unbelievable!" under his breath. Ivy, however, caught him and turned around, her eyes welling up and her voice shaking with emotion.
"I... I'm not a baby, Jack! I'm nineteen years old! And if I go off and do things on my own with people I've just met, then that's my right! I... I wanted to help Aaron! Help those Cubone! And... And I understand you were worried and all, but that's no reason for you to come here and start yelling at Aaron and insulting him when it was my decision to come here, not his! If... If you wanna yell, that's fine! Yell! But yell at the right person! This is my fault and not his! Don't yell at a person who had nothing to do with it,"
Jack looked at Ivy for a long time, as if trying to work out exactly what to say to her. He eventually threw his hand up in a defeated manner. "Fine!" He said exasperated, before looking across at Aaron. "I... I'm sorry I yelled..." He said quite gruffly.
"I… I admit I also spoke out of turn," Aaron admitted, bowing his head slightly.
Ivy smiled broadly, her upset at the bickering all of a sudden instantly forgotten. "See, isn't that better?" She beamed brightly.
"I… I guess..." Jack said with a minor shrug, looking uncharacteristically sheepish and miffed from being scolded from the person he normally gave the scolding to. Somehow though, thinking of his friend, he stretched a smile onto his face and flicked Ivy lightly on the nose making her squeal. "But... But don't think you've gotten away with this, Ivy. You and I are gonna have a serious talk later,"
"Awww!" Ivy whined, scrabbling at Jack's hands. "Aw, I hate your serious talks...!"
Aaron watched the soft, warm banter going on between the two friends and felt a stab of jealousy pierce his heart. He was distracted however when Sebastian turned to him, idly moving aside some stray strands of red hair falling into his eyes. "Did you find anything about the missing Cubone?"
Aaron stared at this stranger, wondering who the hell he was and how exactly he knew about the missing Cubone. He didn't even have the guy's name and he wasn't keen to divulge critical information to just anyone. It was only the fact that he seemed to know Ivy that made him give in. "Someone saw the people who took them heading south." He said bluntly after some hesitation.
"South?" Sebastian repeated, his face knitting in confusion. "But there's nothing down south for miles and miles... What on earth could they be doing...?"
"I have some...theories..." Aaron said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But nothing that can be done here..."
"Nothing, huh?"
"Nothing." Aaron said defiantly as Ivy looked across at him again. "The people who took those Cubone, I'm sorry to say, have probably long left Lavender. Our only hope is to contact the police in the next town over and keep looking."
"Keep looking?" Sebastian asked, looking concerned. "I.. I appreciate seeing those Cubone killed and taken right in front of you must be upsetting, but it wasn't your fault. And it's not your personal responsibilty to get them back,"
"It is." Aaron replied at once. "I let those Cubone get hurt, therefore it's my responsibility to get them back. I... I have to make sure justice is done."
Ivy, who had been listening to this whole conversation with heightened interest, left Jack's side and approached Aaron, looking concerned. "But what about the course...?" She asked, her eyes full of worry. "If you fail it... You won't be able to be a behavioural analyst..."
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that," Aaron said, resting a comforting hand on Ivy's shoulders and smiling at her. "I don't intend to fail the course."
"You don't?"
"Course not. And don't worry, you won't fail your course either."
"I…won't?"
"No way," Aaron smiled. "I tell you what... You're still looking for Venonat, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, why don't we head to Fuchsia? I could take you into the Safari Zone and we could get a Venonat there. And... If we both catch ourselves a couple rare Pokemon, I'm sure we'll be able to use them to help bargain for a Cubone on the trading market,"
While Ivy grinned widely and excitedly, Jack's heart dropped like a stone and he turned to Sebastian in utter disbelief. "Wait... Is this guy coming with us...?"
Sebastian chuckled. "It looks like it..."
"Oh great..." Jack said with a deep sigh. "More distractions… God, and I still don't trust the guy…" he added softly, just loud enough for Sebastian to hear. "And I still… can't forgive Ivy for just running off with a strange guy like that…"
"You know, you are forgetting something, Jack." Sebastian said, lowering his voice softly as an exuberant Ivy decided to direct everyone back to the Pokemon Centre and the odd little party began walking.
"What?" Jack asked, somewhat grumpily, scuffing his shoes off the pavement.
"You gave Ivy a hard time about going off with a strange man that she'd never met, but you're forgetting you did the exact same thing."
"What?! When did I do that!?" Jack asked in astonishment, before all of a sudden remembering who he was talking to. "Oh yeah… You and Robert…"
"We were also technically strange men that you guys went off with without knowing who we were, yes." Sebastian was smiling wryly.
Jack muttered something. "That's… that's different…"
"How is it different? Because it was your decision to trust me and Robert?"
"I…" Jack floundered momentarily.
"That's it, isn't it?" Sebastian said with a knowing smile. "You trusted me and Robert, so it was fine."
"But it was fine! You two turned out to be just fine."
"And who's to say that won't happen with this Aaron person?" Sebastian asked him seriously. "Ivy's a good judge of character—"
"Ivy? A good judge of character?" Jack laughed to himself a little. "Ivy's the kind of person who'd probably invite a burglar trying to rob her into the house for a cup of tea and the chance to talk about his problems…"
"Well then, she sees the good in everyone," Sebastian chuckled. "For what it's worth, this Aaron guy doesn't seem like a bad person. Anyone who cares so much about an issue that he wasn't even responsible for has to be someone worth getting to know. And it could be good for Ivy having someone around doing the same course as her. Give him a chance," he advised, before noticing that Ivy and Aaron had pulled ahead and were in danger from disappearing from their sight altogether. "Ah, they're escaping. We should catch up,"
"Yeah, we should," Jack said, quickening his pace alongside Sebastian. They walked for some time in silence before he eventually spoke again. "I just… I just hope this Aaron guy doesn't…" he trailed off, uncertain how to finish his sentence.
"Doesn't what? Take her away from you?"
"I didn't say that!" Jack said at once.
Sebastian chuckled as a red tinge entered Jack's cheeks. "She's your best friend. She wouldn't drop you for anything, I don't think. Not Ivy. She's just not that kind of person. I think she's as protective of you as you are of her."
Jack flushed slightly. "I… well… I… That's…!" he looked flustered, before eventually spitting out "J… Just don't tell her that."
"My lips are sealed," Sebastian said with a wink as they approached the Pokemon Centre.
No sooner had the two young men entered the relatively quiet Pokemon Centre lobby, Ivy enthusiastically raced up to them like a whirlwind, her eyes alert and shining. "Jack! Sebastian!" she cried, tugging on their arms. "Get ready! Get ready! We're heading out to Fuchsia City!"
"Fuchsia City, huh?" Sebastian smiled, immediately taken in by the young woman's eagerness.
"Yeah!" Ivy cried. "Aaron's gonna take me into the Safari Zone to get a Venonat and a Pokemon I can use to trade for a Cubone!"
"That's a great idea," Sebastian grinned. "The Safari Zone is an excellent place to get Pokemon."
"And Aaron knows it really well!"
Sebastian couldn't help himself and he reached out and patted the young woman fondly on the head. "I'm sure he does, Ivy. When do we leave?"
"As soon as possible, Aaron says!"
"Alright then, I'll go get ready."
"M… me too," Jack mustered up a smile.
Robert and Aaron, who had been lingering in the background, but avoiding actually physically speaking to each other, also said they would go and get ready in preparation for leaving, Robert albeit a little more reluctantly. Jack, who admitted to feeling saddened at the way his best friend enthusiastically engaged Aaron in conversation, hanging on his every word like a child bestowing attention on a new flashy toy, still couldn't help but feel a little happier as he watched her face light up with excitement as she relayed the plans to them. She sounded so full of hope and confidence that she would find her Venonat and a Pokemon that would allow her to trade for her Cubone, behaviour that he would never have expected from her. Jack had to admit it was a joy to see her so cheerful and eager and even optimistic about the course that he knew weighed heavily on her mind and caused her a lot of worry and strife. He let out a sigh, resigning himself to the fact that if having this guy around made Ivy happy and gave her hope and confidence in herself and her abilities, and helped her in a way that he couldn't, that he'd be alright with it. He knew he was the kind of person to never show affection in public, or even in private, but he couldn't deny that Ivy was and always would be, his number one priority.
And with plans made and spirits lifted, the newly acquired party of five began packing up, their sights firmly set on Fuchsia City.
Author's Note
Whew, long chapter here!
Uh, yeah, I think it speaks for itself. Just getting to know Aaron, who'll be sticking around for a few more chapters. After his departure, I'll introduce two more OCs =)
The next chapter will document Ivy's attempts to capture a Venonat. And we all know with our Ivy, even the simplest task never runs smoothly.
Many many thanks to my lovely and amazing reviewers Puniful-Teakat, MasterFreezeman, Guest and MidsummerMoonlight99
